There are only a few blogs that have the type of prestige that the Huffington Post offers. Now that I am a regular contributor, I plan to give people materials that will make them thoughtful, hopeful and motivated to reach their goals.

Being a blogger for the “Huff-Post” has been a long time goal of mine. When I say a long time, I mean that for the last few years, it has been a goal of mine. I had another goal reached this year that took four years to achieve. It’s been a long time since I did something that took me years to accomplish. And, it’s close to my birthday, I feel like celebrations are in order.

The main this is, I have another platform in which to serve my tribe and keep them informed, engaged and motivated. The wait is worth it!

I’ll let you know as soon as a post the first article or video, and
if you are on the email list, you will always get a heads-up!

How I Got 2.3 Million Downloads

This is a new ebook about how to make your app go viral

It’s also got good strategies for anyone who wants anything to go viral

The ebook is written by Stewart Hall

Stuart has been involved in mobile since the early days of the App Store as a developer, blogger and entrepreneur. He is currently co-founder and Chief Bot at Appbot. In a single night he built the 7 Minute Workout app, the, blogged the story of growing the app to 2.3 million downloads before exiting to a large fitness device company. Previously he was co-founder of Filter Squad who built the Discovr series of applications which achieved over 4 million downloads.

The economy has created a new breed of entrepreneurs: couples who want to start their own business. For many couples, working side by side seems like an ideal solution, a way to combine being your own boss with spending more time together. The first thing couples learn, though, is meshing their personal and business lives is a special challenge. My wife and I started a service business together and here are five tips based on our experience to help make your journey easier.

Share a Passion

Your business is likely to be more successful if you share a passion. It could be anything: an interest in art, a love for animals, a concern for the environment, or something else. It’s important to then determine if that shared passion can be translated into a viable business idea: something people want to buy. The best way to do this is develop a business plan that proves what you want to do can be turned into a sustainable business.

Fill Each Other’s Gaps

We learned that we each had particular strengths and weaknesses when it came to running a business. It would be easy for these qualities to become irritants, but instead we worked collaboratively to fill each other’s gaps. If you can learn to compensate for each other’s weaknesses, accept each other’s strengths, and work toward a common goal, your business will benefit – and so will your personal relationship.

Set Goals Together

When you set goals together, you automatically internalize them. Writing down goals and agreeing on them makes them real. You want to set a goal that makes you reach a little but is still achievable. We set goals for lots of things: the starting date of our business, the number of clients we wanted to acquire, our anticipated income each year, and even how many years we wanted to run our business. Our goals helped us visualize our success.

Build Your Knowledge Base

In your business, you learn there are things you know and things you don’t know. When you encounter something that goes beyond your joint areas of expertise, you either have to quickly acquire the knowledge you need or get outside support. If you always have a thirst for knowledge, seek out answers, and view co-owning a business as a learning experience, you will be more likely to succeed.

Maintain Your Perspective

Fully expect that your business will have its ups and downs. That’s why it’s important for both of you to maintain your perspective and keep yourselves grounded. You want the business you operate as a team to enhance rather than detract from your personal lives. Running a business will be challenging and sometimes seem overwhelming, but maintaining your perspective will help it be fun and rewarding.

Barry Silverstein is co-author of the new book, Let’s Make Money, Honey: The Couple’s Guide to Starting a Service Business, available in print and as an eBook on Amazon and other major booksellers.